Mechanism for handling sand in foundries



Dec. 17, 1929. v EX. cARMAN 1,739,337

MECHNSM FOR NDLNG SAND IN FOUNDRIES Filed Dec'. ze. 192e s sheets-sheet 1 Dec. 17, 1929. E. s. cARMAN 1,739,887

uscmmxsu Fon HANDLING SAND IN Funnnxs Filed Dec. 28. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENroR. 'ZZ zu17? :ff @raked ATTORNEY Dec. 17, 1929. E, s, CARMAN 1,739,887

i MECHANISN FOR HANDLING SAND 1N FOUNDRIES Filed Deo. 28. 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

44 I dauin Cr/fz an A TTORNEYS Patented Dec. 17, 1929 sara@ 1 EDWIN s. CARMAN, or EAST CLEVELAND, ori-rre, `assisNoia fro Tirs .osBonN NANN-` 1,73 het? i raar FACTURING COMPANY, or CLEVELAND, `einer.; cenronnrroN or onto MEGHANISM FOR HANDLING SAND INFOUNDRIES Application led December 28,1926, Serial No'. 157,487.

rlhe present improvements have more particular regard to a mechanism or apparatus for separating or shaking the sand fromthe molds, for storing such sand in a suitable bin, and for thence transferring such sand to the place where it is to be used, or is conditioned for use over again. The object of the invention is to provide a simple and compact arrangement of shake-out grating, bin and elevater with various accessory devices whereby foreign matter may be efectively removed from the sand and the latter transferred uninterruptedly to a point removed from the place of its storage.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, i then consists of the means hereinafterfully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, 'but one of 'various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings Fig. lis aside elevation of a mechanism embodying the present improvements, a portion of the foundation supporting such mechanismbeing shown in cross-section; Fig. 2

is a plan view of themechanism; Fig. 3 is a side elevation and Fig. 4 an end View of the lower end-,or boot of the `elevator or distributor which, as indicated, serves to transfer the sand from the storage bin; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in abnormall position; Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation ofthe upper end of the flexible boot member removed' from the organization l;- and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of a detail.

conveniently brought to the mechanism of present interest by means of a traveling crane 1 which is shown diagrammatically only in Fig. 1, being dumped thereby onto a shakeout grating 2 that is preferably on the ii'oor' level. This grating is located directly over a storage bin 3 of suitable capacity, such bin lying within a pit 4 wholly below such floor level.

' The upper end of the bin 3 and the grating The mol-d parts with the sand therein areA 2, thus fitted thereover, are roughly hexagonal in outline as a matter of convenience in construction, but such bin'and grating may have a fewer or larger number of sides or be circular if desired. ln any event the side walls of the bin converge 'downwardly so as to give the bin an inverted pyramidal or approXimately conical form, as shown in F igs'. 1 and 2.

The elevator or distributor 5, by means of which the sand accumulating in the binis removed therefrom as desired, extends down wardly into pit 4 alongside one of the converging walls of the bin, such downwardly eX'- tending portion being encased in a'boX-lke housing 6, the lowerend 7 ofwhich is illustrated in more detail in Figs. 3 and 4. The' upper` edge 6 ofthe housing ispositioned adjacent one wall 3 of the hopper. Such housing communicates withy the interior of the bin through an elongatedslot or' opening 8 that extends from -a point located a short distance above the lower end' of the elevator t0 approximately the top of the adjacent wall of the bin, and may be partially protected by bars'. The elevator` will ordinarily consist of a series of buclretsv 9, or equivalent members, carried by parallel sprocket chains 10 and will be so spaced that as one bucket in its upward course passes beyond the openingy in the bin, another bucket inthe boot will have come up to the center line of the lower spro'ck` et so that any material falling through the opening will be caught by such second bucket' without there being any possibility of such material dropping down into the boot;

The upper end of the elevator or distributor which' rises to a suitable elevationv abo-'ve the floor level isarranged tof discharge the material conveyed thereby onto a short,'c'on tinuously traveling belt 12', the outer en'dof which is carried around a magnetic Ipulley 13, by means of which any gaggers, spills, nails, or otheriron parts, inthe sand will be removed and diverted Iintofa tailings boxy 14 while thesand is dischared through a. chute', 15' into the lower end of an elevator 16 of standard construction. This elevator', as shown, then carries the sand to a crosscouveyor 17 by which it is transported to such 'y place as may be desired.

Referring to the detail construction of the lower end 7 of the housing 6 which encases the corresponding end of the elevator or distributor 5, such lower end or boot will be seen to be of curved, i. e. approximately semi-cylindrical form, and such end includes'a correspondingly curved plate 2O pivoted to the casing about a transverse rod 21. The said plate 2O is suitably secured to a correspondingly curved angle iron 27 and the pivoting above referred to is effected through said angle iron, the flange 28 thereof being formed ,fwith an aperture receiving said rod 21. The

rod 2l lies approximately on the median line of the casing and the curved plate ,20 eX- tends upwardly therefrom to a point immediately beneath the lowermost portion of the bin 3 or, in other words, to a point closely adacent the opening 3 through which the sand enters the casing from such bin.

The upper end 29 of said plate 2O extends materially beyond the upper end 30 of the member 27, as is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and carries at its extremity a shield or guard 31, the upper end of which is formed as a 'chute 32 and is adapted to lie'normally adjacent the lower end of the hopper 3. 1t

Y will be noted that the member 27 is slightly deformed as at 42 adjacent its end 30 and that a cross bar 43 is secured between said member 27 and the plate 2O at this point to form a stop or rest for the lower end of the guard 31.

The free end 30 of the member 27 carries a pin 33 which is mounted in a slot 34 formed in one member 35, and the lower end 44 of said member 35 slidably abuts a stop 45 secured to said member 27. A duplicate, of said member 35 is secured to said member 35 by a cross bar 36 to form a frame straddling the plate 20 and tie member 27, and I have illustrated a second curved member 37 similar to the member 27 and carrying a pin cooperating with a slot in the member 35. The cross bar 36 has secured thereto an L-shaped member 38 which forms a brace for a bracket 24 carried by said cross bar. Said bracket 24 is apertured adjacent its free end, as at 39, and is adapted to cooperate with a rod 22 and spring 23 in the manner shown. The rod 22 is secured to the housing` 6, eX- tending therefrom in a substantially horizontal plane, as indicated, and is adapted to pass through the aperture 39. The spring 23 is sleeved on said rod outwardly of said bracket, and an adjusting nut is screwed on to the free end of said rod 22 to vary the e effective pressure of said spring.

. is guided and steadied.

It will be seen that the spring 23 normally retains the plate 20 and the member 27 in the position illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein the plate is in close fitting position against the side walls of the housing 7. However, should an elevator bucket be bent out of shape so as to project unduly beyond its normal position, or should some foreign article be caught by and carried along with said'bucket, the boot wall formed by the pivoted plate 20 is capable of resiliently yielding as a result of the foregoing construction. In such case, the deformed bucket or the foreign article will exert a substantially radial push against the plate 20, and such force will tend to move the end 30 of the member 27 in a counterclockwise direction about the bar 21. The pin 33 and the stop 45 on the member 27 act on the member 35 and tend to force said member and the frame of which it is a part to follow such movement. Since, however, the roller 25 is in contact with the track 26, arcuate movement of said frame about the rod 21 as a center is impossible, and the pin 33 moves slightly downwardly in the slot 34, the frame being given a directly lateral movement guided by said track 26. Such movement of the frame obviously moves the bracket 24 toward the nut 40, thus compressing the spring 23, and bringing the parts into the position illustrated in Fig. 5. As soon as the deformed bucket or the foreign article has been carried past the upper end 29 of the plate 2O the spring 23 will force the frame toward the right as viewed in Figs. 3 and 5 to move the parts back to the position illustrated in Fig. 3.

The disposition of the elevator 5 alongside of the bin 3 with communication to the interior of the latter through an opening in the side as shown, instead of from thebottom as is the usual practice, has the important advantage of preventing the sand from bridging in the bin. In other words, where the sand is removed only from the bottom, the tendency is for the mass above to be so compacted as to form an arch that rests against the side walls and so unless such arch be broken, the elevator may run empty.

By my present improved construction, on the contrary, the sand is continually removed from the side and the mass within the bin is thus free to flow toward the elevator at all times. Even where the sand does not bridge, there is a tendency for a central hole to be formed in the mass of sand in the bin and the sand freshly deposited in the latter accordingly tends to go directly to the elevator instead of being mingled with that in storage in the bin. This difliculty is equally avoide by the present construction.

` At the same time, by means of the flexible boot last described above, it is possible to remove gaggers, spills, nails or any other foreign matter in the sand without danger to the elevator structure.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. A housing for an endless conveyor comprising a casing, a rod mounted at one end of said casing, a curved closure plate for said end pivotally mounted on said rod, a rod secured to said casing, an apertured bracket slidable on said rod, a spring sleeved on said rod and bearing on said bracket, and a member secured to said bracket and having a lost-- motion connection with an end of said plate.

2. A housing for an endless conveyor comprising a casing, a rod mounted at one end of said casing, a curved closure plate for said end pivotally mounted on said rod, a rod secured to said casing, an apertured bracket slidable on said rod, a spring sleeved on said rod and urging said bracket toward said casing, a member secured to said bracket and having a lost-motion connection with an end of said plate, and means secured to said casing and engaging said member for guiding movement of the latter.

3. A housing for an endless conveyor having an open end, aI rod mounted on the other end of said housing, a curved closure plate for said other end pivotally mounted at one end on said rod, an angular bracket connected to the other end of said plate and having an aperture therein, a rod attached to said housing and extending through said aperture, and a compression spring mounted on said rod be tween the extending end thereof and said bracket.

4. A housing for an endless conveyor having an open end, a rod mounted on the other end of said housing, a curved closure plate for said other end pivotally mounted at one end on said rod, an angular bracket connected to the other end of said plate and having an aperture therein, a roller carried by said bracket, a guide rail carried by said housing for cooperation with said roller, a rod attac-hed to said housing and extending through said bracket aperture, and a compression spring mounted on said rod between the eX- tending end thereof and said bracket.

5. A housing for an endless conveyor having an open end, 4a rod mounted on the other end of said housing, a curved closure plate for said other end pivotally mounted at one end on said rod, a pin projecting laterally from the other end of said plate, a guide rail mounted on said housing, a frame carrying a roller for cooperation with said guide rail, a slot in said frame receiving said pin, an 

